Planning Your Spring Landscape: Steps to Take in Winter

As the chilly Colorado winter blankets your landscape, it may seem like gardening and landscaping projects are on hold until spring arrives. However, winter is the perfect time to plan and prepare for a stunning and successful spring landscape. Taking proactive steps now will ensure you’re ready to hit the ground running when the warmer weather rolls in. From evaluating your current landscape to selecting the best plants and design features, winter planning can set the foundation for a beautiful outdoor space.

Fredell Enterprises, with over 40 years of expertise in landscape design in Colorado Springs, can help you turn your winter planning into a spring masterpiece. Here’s how to make the most of the colder months to prepare your spring landscape.

1. Evaluate Your Current Landscape

The first step in planning your spring landscape is to take a closer look at your existing outdoor space. Winter offers a unique perspective, as the absence of leaves and blooms allows you to assess the structural elements of your yard.

Examine Hardscaping: Look at pathways, patios, retaining walls, and garden beds to determine if repairs or upgrades are needed.
Check Drainage: Winter snow and rain can highlight drainage issues in your yard. Look for areas where water pools or erosion occurs, and plan solutions like dry river beds or improved grading.
Identify Bare Spots: Take note of areas where your yard feels empty or lacks visual interest, and consider how you can fill these spaces with plants, trees, or other features in the spring.

2. Set Goals for Your Spring Landscape

Winter is a great time to dream big and define your goals for your outdoor space. What do you want to achieve with your landscaping?

Increase Curb Appeal: If boosting curb appeal is a priority, consider adding colorful plants, fresh mulch, or stone pathways to create a polished look.
Create Functional Spaces: Are you envisioning a cozy outdoor seating area, a lush garden retreat, or a play area for the kids? Decide how you want to use your space.
Focus on Sustainability: Xeriscaping, native plants, and efficient irrigation systems are great options for creating an eco-friendly landscape that thrives in Colorado Springs’ climate.

Write down your goals so you can refer to them throughout the planning process.

3. Research and Design Your Landscape

Winter provides plenty of time to research and design your dream landscape. This step involves selecting plants, materials, and features that align with your goals.

Choose Native Plants: Native plants are well-suited to Colorado Springs’ climate and require less water and maintenance. Options like Rocky Mountain Columbine, Blue Grama Grass, and Purple Coneflower can add beauty and resilience to your yard.
Incorporate Hardscaping: Hardscaping elements like retaining walls, patios, and stone pathways not only enhance the functionality of your yard but also add visual interest year-round.
Plan for Seasonal Interest: Select plants and features that offer beauty in every season, from spring blooms to winter evergreens.
Sketch a Design: Create a rough sketch or use landscaping software to visualize your ideas. Be sure to include focal points, pathways, and planting areas.

Fredell Enterprises specializes in landscape design and can help you refine your vision and bring it to life.

4. Prepare Your Soil

Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving landscape. While you may not be planting in the winter, you can take steps to improve your soil for spring.

Test Your Soil: Use a soil testing kit to determine the pH level and nutrient content of your soil.
Amend as Needed: Based on your soil test results, add compost, organic matter, or other amendments to improve fertility and structure.
Plan for Erosion Control: In areas prone to erosion, consider adding mulch or planting groundcovers in the spring to stabilize the soil.

Proper soil preparation ensures your plants have the nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy.

5. Plan Your Irrigation System

Water is a precious resource, and planning an efficient irrigation system during the winter can save you time and money in the long run.

Assess Existing Systems: Check your current irrigation system for leaks, clogs, or inefficiencies.
Upgrade to Drip Irrigation: Drip irrigation systems are ideal for garden beds and shrubs, delivering water directly to the roots where it’s needed most.
Consider Smart Controllers: Smart irrigation controllers adjust watering schedules based on weather conditions, ensuring your landscape gets the right amount of water.
Consult Professionals: Fredell Enterprises can design and install a custom irrigation system tailored to your landscape’s needs.

6. Gather Materials and Supplies

Winter is the perfect time to gather the materials and supplies you’ll need for your spring projects.

Order Plants and Seeds: Research reputable nurseries and place orders early to ensure availability.
Stock Up on Tools: Check your gardening tools and replace any that are worn or damaged.
Plan for Hardscaping Materials: If you’re adding pathways, retaining walls, or other features, source materials like stone, gravel, or pavers in advance.

Having everything ready to go will save you time and stress when spring arrives.

7. Collaborate with Professionals

If you have big landscaping plans for spring, winter is the ideal time to consult with landscaping professionals.

Fredell Enterprises offers comprehensive landscaping services in Colorado Springs, including design, installation, and maintenance. Our experienced team can help you:

Develop a custom landscape design tailored to your goals.
Select plants, hardscaping materials, and features that suit your yard.
Plan efficient irrigation and drainage systems.

By working with professionals, you can ensure your spring projects are executed flawlessly.

8. Winter Maintenance for a Healthy Spring

Prune Trees and Shrubs: Remove dead or damaged branches to promote healthy growth in the spring.
Clean Up Debris: Clear leaves, twigs, and other debris from garden beds to prevent pests and diseases.
Protect Sensitive Plants: Cover delicate plants with burlap or mulch to shield them from harsh winter conditions.
Monitor for Pests: Check for signs of pests like voles or rabbits and take steps to deter them.

Why Plan Your Spring Landscape in Winter?

Planning your spring landscape in winter allows you to take a thoughtful and organized approach. By addressing your goals, gathering materials, and consulting with professionals like Fredell Enterprises, you’ll be ready to create a stunning outdoor space when spring arrives.

Start Your Spring Landscaping Journey with Fredell Enterprises

At Fredell Enterprises, we’re passionate about helping homeowners in Colorado Springs create beautiful, functional, and sustainable landscapes. Whether you’re envisioning a vibrant garden, a relaxing outdoor kitchen, or a modern xeriscape design, our team has the expertise to bring your ideas to life.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward transforming your yard into the outdoor oasis of your dreams.

Spring Lawn Care Tips

Landscape Maintenance, Lawn Care

As we work our way into spring, are you thinking ahead to the maintenance of your landscape? Now is the time to begin your landscape clean up and prepare your lawn and garden for spring time. Fredell Enterprises has a few Spring lawn care tips for you!

Although Colorado offers late season skiing into April or even May for some lucky locations, the Colorado Springs area averages a daily maximum temperature for March that’s between 50 and 57°F, with the minimum temperature usually falling between 26 and 32°F. The month of March is when Colorado Springs days start to warm up noticeably, and gardeners can be seen readying their beds for planting. In this article, we’ll cover a list of items that should be on every Colorado homeowner’s spring landscape clean up list.

Mulching

One step in spring lawn care that helps Colorado gardens grow best is mulching around plant beds. Mulch helps keep the weeds at bay and helps the soil retain warmth and water, which means less watering for you and better conditions for your plants. Whether you use wood or rock mulch, March is a good time to check for early weed growth by removing any debris, dirt, fallen leaves, or other organic matter from your mulch beds. A simple hand-held blower is a great way to clean up your plant beds, and new weeds can be easily removed by hand. Over time, your wood mulch will diminish due to wind and weather, so be prepared to replace about one third of it every three years or so. A depth of three to four inches is sufficient; any less will leave the ground too exposed to adverse conditions, any more and you may restrict the flow of oxygen to plant roots.

Watering and irrigation systems.

We hope you’ve been watering your plants during the winter months. Winter watering is critical to minimizing stress on plants and will reduce futile attempts to revitalize dead plants in the spring. Watering deeply and infrequently encourages deep root growth, which expands your plants’ ability to find the water and nutrients they need. This helps reduce the amount of supplemental water and fertilizer your plants need. If you have an irrigation system in place, perform an audit at the beginning of each season and adjust accordingly to ensure efficiency.

Ensure that heads are spraying in the correct direction
Check head filters
Sod should have complete head to head coverage

Another lawn care tip for Spring is to adjust your irrigation to current weather conditions, and water during the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. once the threat of frost is gone but avoid watering under windy conditions. You won’t need to water on days when it has rained more than ¼ inch. If you don’t have an irrigation system yet, call Fredell Enterprise at 719-630-1355. We have proudly served the Pikes Peak Region and surrounding areas along the Front Range including Woodland Park and the I-25 corridor for over three decades, providing top quality service for all budgets. We are a local, family owned and operated firm that offers top quality, full service landscape architecture, design, and construction for Colorado homeowners.

Lawn care.

An aerated lawn is a healthy lawn. Aerating allows for better water, air, and fertilizer absorption. If you didn’t core-aerate your lawn last fall, it can still be done now as weather permits. Another useful lawn care tip: when mowing, use sharp blades set at the highest setting to help shield the soil from the sun and retain moisture better. Using dull mower blades will make ragged cuts that turn the tips off your grass brown, which can trigger the incorrect response of watering more. Brown spots should be watered by hand rather than watering the entire lawn with the irrigation system. When fertilizing, consider reducing the application rate of nitrogen, as it creates lush, fast growth, which uses more water. March is a good month to cut back any ornamental grasses to a height of 2–3 inches and trim away dead or damaged branches from shrubs and trees. If your landscape includes flowering perennials, trim them to a height of 4–5 inches to allow new growth to emerge.

Water features.

Water features are a beautiful, natural addition to any garden or outdoor living space. Whether you opt for a waterfall, pond, stream, bird bath, or fountain, the sound of water adds a relaxing and pleasant element to your landscape, especially in the dry Colorado climate. Winter storms may have left debris in your water feature, and extreme cold may have caused cracks or damage in hard surfaces. Clean out any debris present and check for damage winter may have left behind. You may need to add water due to evaporation or splash loss, and March is a great time to check any pumps to ensure they remain in good working order.